The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says there have been no deaths of North Atlantic Right Whales in Canadian waters so far this year.
Officials provided an early summer update on the status of the endangered mammals.
DFO spokesperson Sylvie Lapointe says while no calves have yet been identified, many Right Whales have been spotted in areas of the Gulf of St. Lawrence which have been closed to fishing.
“These sightings have resulted in temporary closures non-tended fixed gear fisheries in Atlantic Canada. We do recognizes that these measures have had a real impact on fish harvesters and for processors in coastal communities,” she says.
Lapointe adds those areas where there have been no Right Whale sightings for at least 15 days based on targeted surveillance have since reopened to fishing.
(DFO File Photo from July 2017)
